Never Will I Play Your Game A BEN Drowned X OC Story
by lilyan1994
Summary: When Lillian, More Commonly known as "Lily," meets a certain glitching boy, her life turns upside down(Not that it already wasn't!). But, what happens when an entirely NEW danger befalls the pair: Zalgo, the Creepypastas Sworn enemy? Find out in my first Creepypasta story!I do not own any of the Creepypasta, only Lillian, her family, her school, and classmates.
1. Chapter 1

_Lily's POV  
I was just lounging around, wondering whether or not I should talk with my friend On Quotev, __**KäñKrī. Jüßt çâłł më KâńKri**_ _, but I decided that I would play a game first.  
A game of chance.  
A Game that may or may not change my life.  
I grinned, knowing that I'd just be talking with some weirdo.  
I walked over to my computer, logged in, and went to Cleverbot, then opened a new tab, putting on the Song Of Unhealing. I went back to the tab that was on Cleverbot. I typed in,_

 _ **BEN DROWNED.**_ __

 _The Computer responded,_

 _ **Yes, Lillian?**_ __

 _I gasped, thinking about the possibilities of the guy on here knowing my name. Shaking, I typed,_

 _ **How do you know my name?**_

 _ **You shouldn't have done that...**_ __

 _I started to laugh. This was all one sick joke, one of my bullies must've hacked into the site...or was it really BEN? No, it couldn't be, I thought to myself. But me bullies are all too stupid to be able to hack into a website...The computer wrote something, and, after I read it, my hands flew to my mouth in absolute horror._

 _ **Scared now, aren't you? Well, you should be...play my game, and if you win, you'll survive...if not, you'll die.**_ __

 _I tried to close the tab, but it wouldn't work. Suddenly, the computer emitted the sound of a 12-year-old boy laughing, and then, I heard the boy say, in a near musical voice, one of BEN's trademark sayings..._

 _ **You shouldn't have done that...**_ __

 _I just stood there, shaking from head to toe. That's when the door burst open, and there HE stood...BEN Drowned. I let out a scream of horror, and BEN just smirked, a smirk that seemed filled with mischief, filled with...happiness._

 _Come on, Lillian...why don't we play a little game...?_

I shot up, awake in my bed. I was shaking...that nightmare was always horrible, and I'd been having it for the past few weeks...I suddenly glanced at my alarm clock. _SHIT!_ I mentally cursed to myself. It was 8:30, the time that I would usually _leave_ for school. I shot up, and got dressed and ready in a matter of minutes, shooting out the door, and barely making it to school before the Late Bell rang.  
I sighed, panting as I sat down at my desk. That's when I felt something small hit me n the back of the head. I turned to where it had come from, and saw one of my bullies, Nathan Young, to be exact. Yep, there he was, the freckle-faced, idiot kid in grade 7 who always had the ability to get on my nerves. I growled in anger, just knowing that it was him who threw it. I sighed, trying to calm myself down. _He's just a no-good arse who's never been more of an idiot to mess with you,_ my mind told me, and I sighed, then, with all my might, was able to say in the slightest polite manner,

"Nathan, I suggest that you stop, please."

I heard him snicker.

"Actually, I don't think that I will, Lil'."

Alright, that was it. He'd called me Lil'. Nobody, I repeat, no-flippin'-body was allowed to call me that. Ever. Only my dad is allowed to cal me that.  
I shot up outta my chair, and walked straight over to that boy.

"You listen here, and you listen good. I am not gonna tolerate any of your idiocy anymore, do you understand me?"

He laughed again. I felt my left eye start to twitch. Everybody knew that when that started to happen, I was about to lose my temper. And everybody knew, knew that when I lost my temper, bad things were sure to happen.

7 Hours Later...

I ran home, crying my heart out. They'd done it. They'd made me cry. Once I got inside the front door, I went to my room, and took the special key that was around my neck, and opened my special box, and took out the lyrics to a song that I knew well, yet always seemed to need the lyrics. I unfolded the paper, and started singing.

 _"Red Like Roses fills my dreams and brings me to the place you rest.  
White is cold and always yearning, burdened by a royal test.  
Black the beast descends from shadows,  
Yellow beauty burns...Gold."_

I stopped singing, and heard a Ding! come from my computer. I sat down on the chair in front of it, and saw a new tab, that was labeled "Cleverbot." I reluctantly clicked on it, and read the message.

 **I like you're singing...**

 **I don't now what your talking about.**

I responded, sure that this was just some sick joke.

 **You know what I'm talking about...you shouldn't have done that...**

I gasped when I read HIS trademark saying. No, Nonono, this cannot be happening! I furiously typed,

 **Okay, I'm done with this sick joke. You don't know anything about me, you idiot, and you aren't real! BEN Drowned isn't real! You got that?!**

I furiously then clicked the "Send" button, very happy with myself. But, "Cleverbot" responded way faster than I expected it to.

 **You shouldn't have done that, Lily...Hey, why don't we play a little game...?**

I gasped, horrified and shocked at that moment. This can't be BEN. I-It just CAN'T. I shuddered at the thought of him, really watching me right now...I shook it off. I could deal with this later.

5 Hours Later...

I yawned, SUPER tired. I climbed into bed, sleeping with my clothes from today as usual, since I was too lazy to put on my pajamas sometimes. As I fell asleep, I suddenly remembered the Cleverbot message, and BEN. _I'll wake up early tomorrow, and then I'll deal with it,_ I decided, and then drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

3rd Person POV

As Lillian lay in her bed, sleeping, little did she know that her TV screen was on, showing a boy, seemingly 12 years of age, looking like Link, from the game Legends Of Zelda, his blonde, shaggy hair nearly falling over his eyes, yet with black eyes of nothingness, except for the red dots in the middle. There was a seeming to be tear of blood running down the boy's face, and his wrists were bound with iron chains, as he seemed to be in some sort of water, possibly a lake, the boy being pixelled, flashing in and out of focus.  
Now, this boy has a particularly nasty smirk on his face, one filled with mischief, one that looked ready to cause chaos with the world, as he was about to do to the innocent girl that was sleeping in her bed soundly. He had both the complete means and intentions to mess up her life, even more so than it already was.  
He softly said, his voice nearly musical, yet in a horrible tone that was the exact opposite,

"Goodnight, Lillian...now, why don't we play a little game...?"


	2. Chapter 2

BEN's POV

As I watched Lillian sleep from the TV screen, I decided to mess with her dreams a little bit. Maybe give her a couple nightmares. But, my mind told me, Maybe you could mess around first. Have a little fun. I smirked. This, I knew, was gonna be way more fun than messing with Lillian's dreams.  
I started messing around with her Nintendo DS, and other gaming systems, making sure that she knew that I was there. I suddenly heard a gasp coming from her bed. I froze, slowly turning around, and saw Lillian, fully awake,her bright green eyes wide in surprise and fear. Possibly because of me. Shit, I mentally cursed to myself, knowing that this would probably get back to Slender, and then I'd really be fucked.

"W-What in the name of F-Frost...?"

She muttered, staring straight at me, straight into my eyes. I nearly shuddered in fear, fear at how her eyes could see into the depths of somebody's soul. But, she suddenly grabbed a book that was on her nightstand, and threw it at me, it hitting my square between the eyes.

"SHIT!"

I yelled as I was sent back onto the rough wooden ground. _Fuck, that girl can throw hard! She nearly broke my fucking nose!_ I thought, and I saw her spring out of the bed, backing away from me, right into the wall. I stumbled up, and felt blood dripping from my nose. _Okay, maybe she really did break my nose,_ I thought, frowning.  
I started walking over to her, but she looked around, and grabbed a water gun. _Where the fuck did that come from, and why the fuck does she have a water gun during the fucking winter season?!_ I thought, stopping right in my tracks. I could tell that it was full. Water. I HATED water. It was the thing that made me who I am now.

"G-Get the hell away from me, or else!"

She stuttered, and I obediently did as she said, knowing that if Jeff could see me now, doing what an 11 fucking year-old told me, he'd never let me hear the end of it. She backed me into a corner, and I saw, started to look more confident.

"Now, tell me why the hell you're here, and why the heck you're messing with my stuff."

She said, and I sighed. _This girl is damn hard to freak out,_ I thought, wondering how the fuck that was. And how the fuck is she so damn scary?!

"Well, for one, your my new victim, and damn, are you scary..."

Yeah, well you better believe it, Link wannabe!"

"Don't fucking call me that!"

"Why not? You get on my nerves, I get on yours. And, right now, you are being an abso-flippin'-lute indignation."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?!"

"It means, BENjamin Franklin, that your being a complete idiot, annoying, whatever you wanna call it."

"No, I'm not!"

I argued, stamping my foot and crossing my arms like a 5-year-old. Lillian started to snicker at how I was acting. God, she can be annoying sometimes...Suddenly, she stopped, her face unreadable at first, then a small smirk spread across it. Oh no. I knew that smirk all too well.

"Fine, Elf. I'll make a deal with you. Why don't I not shoot you with this Water Gun, and you won't kill me?"

"What?! That's a stupid fucking idea!"

Is what I _wanted_ to say, but I also didn't want to get squirted with water, so I had to agree. I sighed, mumbling a "Fine," and reached out my hand to shake her's. She smiled, and we shook hands. Then, I had an idea.

"Hey, why don't I come to school with you tomorrow? I am the right age."

"WHAT?! What the hell do you think you'll accomplish by that?!"

"I dunno...maybe I might be able to scare the shit outta those guys that bully you...but, if you don't want me to, I guess I'll just go back to the Slender Mansion..."

I said casually, walking over to the TV. After a few moments, she sighed.

"BEN, wait. Fine. You can come to school with me tomorrow. But I doubt that people will believe that you AREN'T-"

I changed into my human form, which was the same me, but wearing a lime-green shirt, and brown jeans, my black eyes being replaced with bright blue ones, my hair still staying it's same messy blonde color. This, unfortunately, was met with another fucking book to the face.

"HOW MANY FUCKING BOOKS DO YOU FUCKING HAVE?!"

I yelled, and she motioned over to around 3 bookshelves filled with them. I felt the blood drain from my face as the array of colors met my eyes.

"Shit, I'm fucked if I make you angry..."

"Yeah, BEN, I think that we've already got that established."

She told me, as she helped me up off of the ground. I dusted myself off, and told her goodbye, at least until the morning, when I'd pick her up for school. I sighed as she went back to bed, and me back to the Slender Mansion.  
I knew that if Slender found out about this, I'd certainly meet with a terrible fate.

The Next Day...

I was outside Lillian's house, wondering when the hell she'd get here. She finally rushed outside, following her another girl who looked like her, except looked a year younger. Once she saw me, though, she hesitantly looked at the other girl beside her.

"Um...Meg, this is-"

"The name's Benjamin. And your Meg, I take it? You two sisters?"

"Yeah, and it's Megan. Lillian only calls me that to annoy me."

I smiled. Lily's sister seemed to have a lot more fight in her. As we started walking, I heard Lily start humming, then softly singing.

" theres a day when all hearts will be broken  
when a shadow will cast out the light  
and our eyes cry a million tears  
help wont arrive

theres a day when all courage collapses  
and our friends turn and leave us behind  
creatures of darkness will triumph  
the sun won't rise

when we've lost all hope  
and succumb to fear  
as the skies rain blood  
and the end draws near

i may fall  
but not like this-it won't be by your hand  
i may fall  
not this place, not today  
i may fall  
bring it all-it's not enough to take me down  
i may fall

theres a place where we'll stand outnumbered  
where the wolves and the soul-less will rise  
in the time of our final moments  
every dream dies

theres a place where our shields will lay shattered  
and the fear's all that's left in our hearts  
strength and our courage have run out  
we fall apart

when we lose our faith  
and forsake our friends  
when the moon is gone  
and we reach our end

there's a moment that changes a life when  
we do something that no one else can  
and the path that we've taken will lead us  
one final stand

there's a moment we make a decision  
not to cower and crash to the ground  
the moment we face our worst demons  
our courage found

when we stand with friends  
and we won't retreat  
as we stare down death  
then the taste is sweet

i may fall  
but not like this -it won't be by your hand  
i may fall  
not this place, not today  
i may fall  
bring it all-it's not enough to take me down  
i may fall"

I wondered how it was possible that Lily could sing so well. Once we finally reached the school, I walked with Lily to her class, her sister Megan going to her own. When we arrived, people started to stare at me. the teacher started to introduce me to the class.

"Class, this is Benja-"

"I'd prefer if you'd call me Ben, if that's okay."

"This is Ben, then, and I hope that you all are going to be kind to him. Now, can somebody please volunteer to show Ben here around the school, preferably at recess?"

"I can."

Lily said raising her hand up. The teacher smiled at her, a warm smile that I never got to see when I was at the Slender Mansion. So, recess came, and Lily started showing me around the school, and gave me a photocopied version of the class's timetable.

"So, BEN, you wanna meet the teachers?"

"I can always meet them later. Why don't we go outside?"

"Okay. But I gotta run back to the classroom to get my coat."

Lily said, and I shrugged, and she smiled, and ran off. As soon as she disappeared around the corner, though, Slender appeared beside me.

"BEN, I have finally found you! Come, we must-"

"No, Slender, I thought that you said that I could go here!"

"BEN, Yes, I did say that, but only if you told me why you suddenly wanted to go to school, which you did not!"

"Look, Slender, I'll tell you later, okay?!"

I retorted, suddenly worrying for Lily's safety if Slender found out that she caught me last night, and that I made a deal with a human. Suddenly, Slender sighed, muttered a "Fine," then disappeared, right in the nick of time, too. Lily came around the corner just as he disappeared.

"C'mon, BEN! Let's go! I wanna slide on the ice!"

She whined, and I sighed, letting her drag me outside. I let her drag me over to a patch of ice, where there were little kids, kids her age, and a couple that looked older than her. She started to slide on the ice, pulling me along with her, and I immediately fell on my ass.  
I heard her giggle, and a few other kids too.

"Hey, kid, you don't know what ice is?"

My head snapped towards the boy who'd said that, and saw that it was one of the older kids. He looked to be in grade 8 or something. He smirked down at me, acting all high and mighty. I defiantly smirked up to him.

"Yeah, I know what ice is, dumbass, unfortunately, you don't know what happens when you make me angry, or this girl, for that fact."

I told him, jabbing a thumb towards Lily, who looked down, seeming to look uncomfortable. The boy took one glance at Lily, and started laughing his ass off. I jumped up, angered.

"Hey, I don't understand what's so funny, asshole. Mind letting me in on the joke?"

I saw the boy look at Lily, then me. And then laughed again. Shit, that guy's fucking laugh was starting to sound both stupid AND annoying.

"Oh, you don't know? This bitch can't even make up a good diss, let alone act her age!"

I grew more and more angry, and suddenly aimed for a punch at the kid's jaw, but a pale hand held my arm back just in time. I looked, and saw that it was Lily

"Ben, stop. He isn't even worth it. Come on, let's go somewhere that there AREN'T any pathetic morons to bother us."

She told me, and I grumbled, but walked away with her all the same. That's when I heard, faintly, but surely,

"Yeah, let your little girlfriend save you!"

I looked at Lily, and I was sure that she had heard the boy's jeer too. Why? Because her face was contorted with anger, and all red, which I was sure that was NOT because of the cold. She casually walked over to the boy, stood in front of him, and then socked him in the jaw, then kicked him where it hurts, then calmly walked back away, as the shocked stares of the others who had witnessed it followed her.  
Even I was surprised. I mean, this girl's got guts, but to punch a guy in the face, and kick him where the sun don't shine, well, that's just...well, amazing. When she saw my shocked look, she looked at me in question.

"What? That idiot deserved it."

I smiled like an idiot, following her to the lineup when the bell rang. I think I'm starting to like this girl.


	3. Chapter 3

Lily's POV

A Few Days Later...

I was on my computer, writing Chapter 1 for my new ROTG fanfiction. I didn't have any ideas, though. I sighed, thinking of ideas that I hadn't already used. Suddenly, my screen started to glitch in and out of focus. I sighed. I didn't have time for that boy's antics right now.

"BEN, stop. I'm trying to work here, okay?"

The computer kept on glitching, and I sighed, yet again, rubbing my temples in both drowsiness and annoyance. I was starting to get tired of this. It was 2:00 in the flippin' morning, for Frost's sake! Suddenly, I saw text appear on my screen.

 **Okay, I'll stop. But only if you sing for me.**

I sighed, not wanting to, but I also couldn't ignore the fact that he probably wouldn't stop if I didn't. I still didn't want to though. I knew that this wasn't going to be easy, yet it actually was. God, life is so confusing, especially when there's a flippin' Creepypasta haunting you.  
Finally, I decided that I'd sing. I started thinking of Jack, my childhood friend. I hadn't seen him in over 7 years now. I started singing, thinking of how much I missed Jack, and how much he was like a big brother to me, and how much I'd loved him for being there, even in my darkest hours.

 _"Well it's good to hear your voice_  
 _I hope you're doing fine_  
 _And if you ever wonder_  
 _I'm lonely here tonight_  
 _Lost here in this moment_  
 _Time keeps slipping by_  
 _If I could have just one wish_  
 _I'd have you by my side_

 _Oooohh I miss you_  
 _Oooohh I need you_  
 _And I love you more than I did before_  
 _And if today I don't see your face_  
 _Nothing's changed, no one can take your place_  
 _It gets harder everyday_  
 _Say you love me more than you did before_  
 _And I'm sorry it's this way_  
 _But I'm coming home, I'll be coming home_  
 _And if you ask me I will stay, I will stay_

 _Well I tried to live without you_  
 _But tears fall from my eyes_  
 _I'm alone and I feel empty_  
 _God I'm torn apart inside_  
 _I look up at the stars_  
 _Hoping you are doing the same_  
 _And somehow I feel closer_  
 _And I can hear you say_

 _Oooohh I miss you_  
 _Oooohh I need you_  
 _And I love you more than I did before_  
 _And if today I don't see your face_  
 _Nothing's changed, no one can take your place_  
 _It gets harder everyday_  
 _Say you love me more than you did before_  
 _And I'm sorry it's this way_  
 _But I'm coming home, I'll be coming home_  
 _And if you ask me I will stay, I will stay, always stay_

 _I never wanna lose you_  
 _And if I had to I would choose you_  
 _So stay, please always stay_  
 _You're the one that I hold on to_  
 _My heart would stop without you_

 _I love you more than I did before_  
 _And if today I don't see your face_  
 _Nothing's changed, no one can take your place_  
 _It gets harder everyday_  
 _Say you love me more than you did before_  
 _And I'm sorry that it's this way_  
 _But I'm coming home, I'll be coming home_  
 _And if you ask me I will stay, I will stay, I'll always stay_  
 _And I love you more than I did before_  
 _And I'm sorry that it's this way_  
 _But I'm coming home, I'll be coming home_  
 _And if you ask I will stay, I will stay, I will stay..."_

I looked back at the computer screen, and saw BEN, looking saddened, and he looked like he was even crying a little bit. I knew why, since it was a very sad song, about how much someone can miss another person, miss someone that had said goodbye to you before they had to.  
I felt a tear roll down my face at the memory of what I had lost that night, when my whole life had changed with just one split-second choice. More and more wet tears came down, until I was quietly sobbing. It wasn't fair, it just wasn't. People made fun of me, just because I talked about my childhood friends, just because I believed that I wasn't crazy.  
But they didn't know the hell that I went through every single day, when they'd call me names, when they'd make me cry, they didn't know what it felt like. It felt like I was drowning in a pool of hate, and I could never escape, like I would drown, but be brought back to life to relive it the next day, and day after day after day, and they didn't care, they never did...if they did, then they wouldn't let me be like this, then they wouldn't act like they didn't, they would actually try to help, try to be my friend...  
 **Friend.** That's what I haven't had for a very long time, not since the night I lost it all. I haven't trusted anyone for a long time, since whenever I've trusted someone, then I had my heart broken, over and over and over again. No one ever cared, no one ever knew my pain, they never knew that I just wanted people to like me for being who I am, being who I want to be, not being what others want me to...  
That's when I realized it. BEN might be the only one who's known my pain, the only one that has that feeling of sorrow, that feeling you get when you can't stop something, that feeling you have when you can't have control of your own life, your own fate.  
I felt a pair of arms wrap around me, hugging me, and a hand slowly stroking through my hair, in an effort to calm me down. I knew that it was BEN. There was no one else there, so it had to be.

"Hey, it's okay...Nobody can hurt you anymore, not as long as I'm here. I promise."

He told me, and I knew. I knew that he was probably going to be the best-yet only-friend that I'd ever have. I started to feel drowsy, sleep finally coming to collect what it had been waiting for.


	4. Chapter 4

BEN's POV

When I started to see Lily cry, I knew I had to do something. I came out of her computer screen, and, hesitantly, (Since I didn't know how she would react) hugged her. I knew that she was a strong girl, and only when things were at their worst, she would cry. I slowly stroked my fingers through her hair, hoping that it would at least calm her down a little bit.

"Hey, it's okay...Nobody can hurt you anymore, not as long as I'm here. I promise."

I told her, meaning every single word. I felt something with Lillian that I didn't with anyone else. It felt like...friendship. I never really got to having friends when I was just Ben, nor at the Mansion. I felt her go limp, and at first started to panic, but then realized that she must have cried herself to sleep.  
I sighed, smiling in the slightest way. I picked Lily up, and set her down on her bed, pulling the blanket over her, wiping away the tear streaks from her face. She really doesn't deserve to be called what others call her at school. She never deserved all the hate that's been thrown at her during her life. I suddenly saw Slender appear beside me, scaring the living crap outta me.

"Holy shit, Slender, what the fuck?!"

"BEN, what are you doing here?"

"Messing around, shit, can't you trust me?"

"BEN, I know that you are not telling the truth. You have become friends with this mortal, haven't you?"

"N-No...Maybe...?"

Slender suddenly reached out a tentacle to grab Lillian, and I made a split-second decision: I went in front of Lillian, in an effort to try and protect her from Slender's wrath. Even though he had no face, Slender's contorted into one filled with anger. He sent me flying across the room in a rage, me hitting the opposite wall with a sickening thudding sound.  
I slowly slid down the wall, my strength weakening more and more by the second, as my eyesight started to grow blurry. I saw Slender reach one of his tentacles out towards Lily again, and immediately felt my strength return. I jumped up, and started to at least try and keep Lily safe. I promised her that I wouldn't let anyone hurt her as long as I was there.  
And I'm not one to break my promises.  
I tried to fight off Slender as long as I could, but it wasn't very long, since he was the strongest of the Creepypastas. But...I ended up winning. As soon as Slender disappeared, I knew that I'd have to hide Lily, or else there would be a whole bunch of Creepypastas on her tail, wanting to kill her. I couldn't let that happen. As I said before, I promised her that nobody would hurt her again as long as I was there. And I planned on **always** being there.  
No matter what, I'd keep my promise to her.  
No matter what,I try and keep her safe.  
Friends do whatever they can for friends, after all.


	5. Chapter 5

Lily's POV

I felt consciousness come to me, and realized that someone was shaking me awake. I groaned, not at all amused with who was doing so. Nobody had the right to wake me up when it felt like I only got 5 minutes of frickin' sleep. No. Frickin'. Body.

"5 more minutes..."

I muttered, and I heard a familiar chuckle come from the person shaking me. I couldn't quite place it, but when the person started to speak, I immediately knew by both the voice and the tone that it was BEN.

"Sorry bedhead, but I think that it's time for you to get up. I'm gonna take you somewhere special, okay? So get up and get ready."

He told me, and I smiled in the slightest way. When I heard the door to my bedroom close, I drowsily got up from the bed, and headed towards the closet. I got on my favorite outfit cgi/set?id=18800...(Please ignore the title), brushed my hair and put it up in a loose bun, then putting on my snowflake necklace and charm bracelet(AT-6263-925-sterling-silver-2- & il_570xN.452782610_oe7v).  
I walked outside to see BEN, staring at my drawings of Jack that I'd done recently. When he saw me, he smiled, then motioned for me to follow him. I did so, and he led me towards the TV in our living room, then reached out his hand towards mine. I realized what he was doing, and immediately drew back my hand.

"Um, BEN, No offence, but I don't really like traveling through electronics..."

"Have you ever done it before?"

"Well, no, not really..."

"Then how do you know that you don't like it?"

"Touche."

I sighed, and he grabbed my hand, then pulled me into the television. All around us was binary code, and it was after a while of this, we came out of another TV, me falling flat on my face. I heard BEN giggle, and I felt my face turn red with embarrassment.

"Okay, up you get."

I heard BEN say, and I felt him grab my hand and pull me up from the ground. I looked around the room, and saw that it had old, dusty furniture, and the wallpaper was peeling in some places. There was even a piano in one corner. It seemed to me that this place was probably abandoned. That's when it all clicked.  
I was in the Slender Mansion.  
The Mansion where ALL of the CREEPYPASTAS lived.  
Oh, no.  
Not frickin' likely am I gonna meet a bunch of killers right now.  
No way, no how.  
Seeming to read my thoughts, BEN sighed. A reassuring smile appeared on his face, and he motioned towards the door.

"Hey, remember what I said before Lil'-"

"Hey, watch it, elf. Don't call me that, got it?"

"Okay, but remember what I said before? Nobody here is gonna even lay a **finger** on you unless they have a death wish."

He told me, and I actually felt the least reasssured. Goddammit, why is it that I always get dragged into these sort of things?! _Because your life is screwed up. You already know that._ My mind told me, and I couldn't help but agree with it. I slightly nodded to the Link look-alike, and he smiled, pulling me out of the room and down the hall, where we ended up in front of a large door that had **Slenderman's Office** on it in big bold letters.  
It looked foreboding, that it did, and I started to get more and more nervous. Well, of course I'm nervous, I'm in a place filled with frickin' killers for MiM's sake! BEN knocked on the door, and a man's voice said for whoever was out there to come in. BEN motioned for me to follow him closely, and I very happily did.  
We walked into what looked like an office(DUH!), with a chair behind a desk, the chair facing away from us, but that didn't last long. The chair turned around, and I saw the one and only Slenderman, but he just stared at BEN, his face(Though he doesn't have one) looked angry. Okay, I really wanna leave now before I feel this guy's wrath...

"BEN, I see that you have brought the mortal-"

"Um, 'scuse me, but my name is Lillian, but I'd like you to call me Lily, if it isn't too much trouble..."

I said, regretting it immediately when Slender turned to look at me. Wow, that look is scary, even more so when you have the knowledge that he's got NO FRICKIN' FACE. Okay, this is starting to get REALLY, REALLY uncomfortable. I looked down at the ground, which had suddenly become the most interesting thing in the whole wide frickin' world. I heard Slenderman suddenly sigh.

"You need not be afraid of me, child. From what BEN here displayed last night, he shall go to any length to protect you. I shall try and tell the others to stay away from you, unless they would like to feel BEN's wrath..."

"Actually, Slender, I was wondering if Lily could meet the others...just so they can get to know her, trust her with our secret..."

"Fine, BEN. I shall call the others into the living room, meet us there in 5 minutes."

Slenderman said, and then he teleported out of the room, leaving me and BEN alone. I blinked in surprise. Okay, can someone please explain to me what in the good name of Frost just happened? I heard BEN giggle in the slightest way, immediately getting on my nerves.

"What is the purpose of your face?"

He asked, and I felt the sudden urge to bang my head against the closest wall. Let me explain. I've been watching the movie Home for the past few days, and he's started to say Oh's catchphrases ever since he got to watch it for the first time with me and my sister.

"BEN, can you just stop that?"

"Nope."

"Do you really want me to throw another book at you that much?"

"No..."

"Then stop please."

I told him, and he grew quiet. We both walked out into the hallway, BEN telling me to stay close to him, which I happily did. Hey, you can't be too careful when your in a Mansion full of killers! We soon arrived in a room that looked sorta like a living room, with a bunch of people, which I knew were the Creepypastas that were in the Mansion at the time of mine and BEN's arrival. I gulped. I knew that this definitely wasn't going to end well...


	6. Chapter 6

Lily's POV

I pulled my hood up over my head, not wanting them to see my facial features just in case they might wanna track me down and possibly murder me. Hey, they were still killers! BEN went in first, then me following close behind him. I took a look around at the Pasta's in the room. There was Slenderman, of course, but then I saw the others.  
There was a boy who looked around the age of 14, wearing a white hoodie stained with blood and a pair of black jeans, he had Jet-Black hair, and pure white, leathery skin. This particular boy was wiping blood off of a kitchen knife in his hand. It was Jeff The Killer. Okay, moving on.  
There was another boy, who had short, brown hair, he was wearing a blue mask, a black hoodie, a pair of jeans, and I saw, had grayish skin. I saw a black substance coming from the eye holes in his mask, which, for some reason, didn't creep me out in the slightest. This, I knew, was Eyeless Jack, or EJ.  
I saw a tall, monochrome clown, who had black, dull hair, wearing a black-and-white-striped cone for his nose, and pretty much black-and-white-striped everything. His eyes, though, they looked like they once had a familiar glimmer in them, the glimmer of happiness, of fun. That glimmer I knew all too well, that was the glimmer that **I'd** had in my eyes, when _he_ was still around. But I'd sadly lost that long ago, like him. This was Laughing Jack, or LJ, the monochrome clown that had been abandoned, like I had long ago.  
I saw another boy, who looked to be around 17, with chestnut hair, wearing a grey mouthguard, orange goggles which his the color of his eyes, a brown sweater with a blue hood, grey jeans, a pair of converse, black gloves, and a belt around his waist, which held 2 hatchets, each stained with blood. There were also cracking sounds coming from the boy, and I immediately remembered his story after I searched it on the internet.  
There were two others, one with a white, feminine mask, in which the lips and eyes were coloured black, a yellowish coat, wearing blue jeans and black boots that reached nearly as high as his knees, and the last one, he was wearing a yellow zip-up hoodie, black jeans, black boots, he too wearing black gloves. What seemed to interest me, though, was his mask. It was all black, with 2 red eyes that looked saddened somehow, the mouth was red, too, and turned down into a frown.  
This was Ticci Toby, the boy who was bullied just for having Tourette Syndrome, in which you physically or sometimes have tics, or glitches in your voice, Masky, and Hoodie, all three being Slenderman's proxies. I saw them all turn to me, staring in my direction in confusion. Jeff was the first to speak up, breaking the tense silence that filled the room.

"So, BEN, this is who you supposedly wanted us to meet? She sure looks shy."

I heard him state, and I heard BEN sigh, supposedly in annoyance. I was kinda annoyed too. Me, shy? Well, maybe he thought that because I was being so quiet...But once he actually gets to know me, he'll think very, **very** differently.

"Yeah, does a shy person throw a book in my face twice?"

BEN emphasized the last word, as if it would be the last clue to a magnificent riddle that no one had solved yet. Jeff stared at me, then smirked, the edges of his cut smile seeming to fold. Okay, I'm definitely not taking that as a good sign. I heard LJ Giggle insanely.

"So, how old is she?"

The clown asked, and I cautiously took a glance at BEN, knowing exactly what LJ was up to. By the look on BEN's face, I knew that he suspected, too.

"She's 11, Laughing Jackass."

I had to bite my lower lip to keep from giggling. I took a glance at the clown, who looked outraged at BEN's insult with his name. Seriously, he looked ready to feed BEN some of his candy. And **not** in a good way, mind you. I knew that something had to happen to stop this fight before it began. And so, very foolishly, I decided to speak up.

"Okay, Let's just calm..."

My voice faltered under the clown's icy stare, and he didn't look away until I was shaking slightly with fear, a nasty smirk planted on his paper-white face. I knew that he was just trying to mess around with me, but it still scared me. But my fear slowly turned to anger.  
He didn't have the right to scare me.  
He didn't have ANY rights that involved making me feel threatened.  
I finally decided to do something very foolish, that may or may not threaten my life.  
I decided to stand up for myself.

"Your gonna get what you give, y'know."

I told him, and his head snapped back towards me again. Oh, how much I wanted to run, to cower away from the glare that he gave me in that moment. But I stood still, defiantly staring him straight in his eyes as if he had no power over me. BEN was staring at me as if I was completely and utterly mad, but I ignored that. If looks could literally kill, I'd be a pile of ashes right about now because of the glare that LJ was giving me.

"What did you say?"

He asked, his voice filled to the brim with venom.

"You heard me, Jack."

Wow, I'm feeling defiant today. LJ, I saw, looked angered beyond the max. I took a glance at the other Creepypastas. They were all, staring at me, immediate shock on all the faces except for one. Slenderman seemed to look at me in a new light: He probably thought that I was a fool to stand up to LJ. I foolishly decided to speak again.

"Well, as BEN said, I threw a book smack in the damn middle of his face...twice. And I wasn't even angry then. So, yeah, if you make me angry, bad things will happen, I kid you not."

I saw LJ's eyes grow wide in surprise that I'd just threatened him. I couldn't believe it either. I'd just threatened a killer. I sorta felt relieved-for that I questioned my sanity-and I also felt regret for what I'd just done-that made me half sure of it.  
I must be going mad.  
Oh, well.  
Everybody in this Mansion is mad, so I'll probably fit right in. Well, LJ just kept staring at me in shock, as well as BEN and pretty much everyone else in the room. Luckily, somebody saved me right in the nick of time...  
A little girl, in fact, who looked around the age of 5 or 6. She was wearing a light pink nightgown, stained with dirt, clutching a worn, brown teddy bear in her small hands. Her hair was a reddish-brown color, a streak of dried blood running down her face, her bright green eyes having a look of innocence, a look that I had also lost long ago. The look in her eyes seemed to paralyze me for a second, and then I remembered her story. This was Sally Williams.  
I listened to my instincts, which told me to try and see if she was okay. Instead, though, I knelt down so I was her height, as I'd done to so many other children-but when they were hurt or scared-and looked right into those eyes of hers, those completely innocent eyes, which now displayed confusion of who I was and how I got here, and-I was very surprised by this-fear. When she saw my eyes, though, all of the fear dissipated, until it was only her confusion.  
I knew that this was because of the power that I was given when I was around her age. 5, to be exact. I remembered what had happened, when I lost everything...  
I felt the tears start to gather in my eyes at that thought. _No, don't cry, don't cry, don't give in...DAMMIT DON'T YOU FRICKIN' CRY!_ My mind screamed at me, and I tried to fight back my tears, tried to blink them back, but one escaped, running slowly down my face. I knew that everyone in the room was staring at me, wondering why the hell I was crying.  
They didn't know what had happened to me, what every innocent look in every child's eyes did to me. They didn't know what I had lost so long ago, and how much that had meant to me...

BEN's POV

When I saw that one tear, slowly sliding down Lily's face, I knew that I had to do something. I cautiously walked over to her, not knowing how she would react. I gently put my hand on her shoulder, so I wouldn't startle her, and knelt down so I was at her level. I knew that there was something that she was hiding from me. I saw the way that she looked at Sally, like the little girl clad in pink had something that she'd lost. It confused me.

"Lily...Are you okay?"

That's when I saw that her eyes were blank, as if she were remembering something. As if she had some sort of connection to Sally. I was unsure of what to do right now. I decided, after a few minutes of musing through the options that would not get her killed, I decided to take her home. _It's the best option at the moment, y'know,_ my mind told me, and I agreed with it happily.

"Hey, Lil', it's time to go..."

I told her, and she seemed to come back to herself, then nodded slightly before standing up once again. I felt everyone else's eyes following us as I led her out the door. I sighed, still confused. I HATED being confused nearly as much as I hated water. I'll ask her about what the fuck happened when we get back to her house. And I'm gonna need a FULL answer. The TRUTH, the whole TRUTH, and nothing but the TRUTH.


	7. Chapter 7

BEN's POV

Once we'd arrived back at Lily's house, I stopped her before she could leave. I had to know why she'd looked at Sally like that. I had to know the truth. I had to know what she was hiding from me.

"Lil'-"

"I thought I told you not to call me that!"

"Okay, Okay. Calm down. Lily, I know that there's something that I need to know. Why did you just suddenly freeze when Sally came in?"

"That's none of your business, BEN...It's mine and nobody else's."

She mumbled, so quiet that I nearly missed what she said. I felt rage start to consume me, my red pupils start to burn an even more fiery red, my fists clenching in anger. I didn't have any business knowing what she was hiding?! Oh, she was wrong there. It **was** my business, whether she fucking liked it or not! I grabbed her by the shoulders, my anger taking over.

"Lillian, you better tell me right fucking now what the fuck you aren't telling me."

I growled, and I suddenly saw fear cross her bright green eyes. I suddenly noticed the blue flecks grow bluer. I mentally shook my head, telling myself that that was impossible. I was just imagining things. I sighed, letting go of her, my anger slowly disappearing.

"Can you tell me what your hiding from me? Please?"

I said, rubbing the bridge of my nose in annoyance. I tried to calm down so I wouldn't get too angry and kill her by accident. That would certainly fuck everything up a lot.

"You're gonna think that I'm crazy..."

"Lily, look at me. I'm a ghost who plays videogames, I'm a Creepypasta, and I have back eyes with red pupils that cry blood for fuck's sake. I'm not gonna think that your crazy. Trust me."

"...Okay. But please promise that you won't laugh."

"I swear on Majora's Mask."

Lily walked over to her bed, and sat down, staring out the window, me going over and sitting down beside her.

"Okay. When I was 4, my mom and dad would fight every night. I sometimes even had to scream at them to stop, but it'd never work. So, one December night, after one such event, I'd just gotten Megan to finally fall asleep. That's when the fighting started again.  
This time around, though, after I started screaming, I actually heard one of my parents say something bad, but I'm not sure what it was. I just remember going back to my room, and starting to cry, for no absolute reason. I heard a boy's voice ask me what was wrong.  
I looked up, and saw a boy with white hair, startling blue eyes, paler-than-pale skin, and, what I discerned from my 5-year-old mind, was that he kinda looked funny and was older than me. Especially that staff of his. It was glowing blue.  
I asked him why he was there, and he literally nearly fell off of the bottom of the bed in shock, since he was probably surprised that I could even see him."

She explained, and as much as I wanted to stop her there, I didn't knowing that she would provide the answer during her explanation. She kept staring out the window, and continued, as if lost in the memory itself.

"He told me that he was...Jack Frost. I know, I know. It's crazy, I deserve to be locked up in a menta-"

"Lily, stop. Your not crazy. Believe me. I'm a Creepypasta, for Chrissake! Besides, Creepypasta's aren't supposed to be REAL, you know that!"

I told her, poking her shoulder. She smiled softly, then continued.

"Once we had both introduced ourselves and Jack gotten over his surprise, he took me outside, and introduced me to the Great Snowball Fight. Let's just say that I won his crown, and still hold it to this day. A couple months later, he took me to meet his friends, the Guardians Of Childhood, who are also known as Santa Claus, The Tooth Fairy The Easter Bunny, The Sandman, and their recent addition, Jack Frost.  
As you know, I'd already met Jack Frost, so I didn't have a problem believing that I hadn't gone insane back then. Maybe also because I was 4 years old. I dunno. Anyways, I soon thought of the Guardians as the happy, non-screwed-up family that I never had. I always wanted a family that didn't fight all the time. And that's what The Guardians provided for me."

I saw tears start to glisten in her eyes. I knew that it must hurt her to be talking about this. Something really bad must have happened to make her like this. She didn't seem to notice the tears as she continued on with her story.

"But there was soon a dark cloud to appear in front of the only sun in my world. That cloud was Pitch Black, The Boogeyman, and, the Guardian's enemy. He found out about me, and how Jack felt like I was the sister he saved from drowning all those years ago. Pitch, unfortunately, decided to use that to his advantage. He kidnapped me one night, and threatened my life right to the Guardian's faces.  
Now, none of them liked that, nor the thought of me in that nightmarish hellhole he calls a lair, Jack most of all. They came to rescue me, but..."

She trailed off, and the tears in her eyes gleamed brighter, some spilling down her cheeks, which I saw had grown paler, along with the rest of her visible skin. Her green eyes seemed to have lost their gleam, now looking mad with fear. She gulped, as if choking back a sob, and then continued, her voice shakier than I'd ever heard it. Her lower lip started trembling, as if she were about to cry.

"...P-Pitch t-tried to d-destroy J-Jack...B-But I s-saved h-him...I-I lost m-my memory...A-And f-for the p-past 6-6 years, I-I've b-been a-all a-alone...P-People B-Bully me a-at school, w-with n-no mercy...I-I'm t-turning 1-12 s-soon...I-I d-don't w-wanna l-lose t-them...A-And I-I just w-want it t-to e-end..."

She started sobbing, shaking violently with each one, hiding her face in her knees, hugging them close to her with both her arms. Each sob that came out seemed to twist and turn my heart that had stopped beating long ago, breaking it to near pieces. I knew that she had gone through a lot in her life, but this, I guessed, was the one point in her life when she had people involved in it that actually cared about her feelings. I carefully wrapped my arms around her, pulling her towards me, running my fingers through her hair in an effort to try and calm her down.  
Her shaking slowed to a less violent pace, but kept up nonetheless. I knew that she was on the verge of breaking. I knew that she didn't want any of the names, any of the teasing, any of the whispers and rumors that surrounded her life. The life that had so much loneliness, the one thing that she was chasing, that light, slowly fading into the black void of emptiness. I knew. Because I'd lived this life, before I became who I am now. Before I became BEN Drowned.

And I didn't want the same outcome for her, the one that came to claim me.  
I would never let that happen.  
As long as her heart would keep beating, I would do all I could to protect her.  
Even if it had to be from me.


	8. Chapter 8

Lily's POV

All I'd ever known since that fateful night, the one that had changed my life forever, was sadness, heartbreak, and pain. With nobody that understood. I usually didn't let other people see this side of me. The weak, the broken, the useless side of myself. Ever since BEN came along, it had been on the loose, my control over it gone, with no sign of it ever coming back.  
I knew that he thought that I was weak. I knew it. Everybody else did, too. And now he did. I just want it all to end, to be able to let go of my past, to let go of _him_. But I couldn't. It was like he was relentlessly popping up in my mind, pictures of us, both smiling, having fun in the snowy weather, or it was all of us; me, North, Tooth, Bunnymund, Sandy, and...I swallowed as I thought of the name once more. And Jack. He was the best thing that had ever happened to me. I knew that he would probably never come back.  
No, I **knew** that he would never come back. I'm already turning 12 in a few months. April 7th. Then, the year after that I'll turn 13. The age where people transfer from children, to teenagers. Teenagers, as I already knew, didn't believe in "nonsense" such as Santa Claus, The Easter Bunny, The Tooth Fairy, The Sandman, and Jack Frost. I'd already known this for a while.  
I'd seen the loss of light in every teenager's eyes. And I felt sorry about that, because they didn't have what I had. But the light in my eyes, it has started to fade away, slowly, but surely. And I'm starting to forget them again. I want to forget them sometimes, because it reminds me of everything that I've lost. But at the same time, they're the only thing that stops me from crying myself to sleep every night.  
Once the tears had finally stopped running, my body stopped shaking, I realized that BEN was holding me against him, stroking his fingers through my hair. I felt surprisingly weak, and I realized that I was leaned against BEN, breathing heavily, my voice still choking on small sobs. I felt one of his hands go under my chin, and lift my head up so I'd see his face. It surprisingly had a small smile on it.

"Y'know what? Those guys at your school? Well, they can fuck off. You are a smart, nice, and surprisingly stubborn for an 11 year-old, and they're just jealous of your bravery. Shit, you stood up to LJ for chrissake!"

He told me, and I smiled, playfully punching him on the shoulder when he called me "surprisingly stubborn," laughing along with him. He was actually a pretty good guy, for a killer. Yes, I'll admit that he is annoying on a daily basis, can scare the hell outta you, is stubborn, and may seem heartless on the outside, but when you get to know him, he's actually playful, lonely, and, even loyal to the end.  
My CD player suddenly turned on, and Rotten To The Core from Disney Descendants started playing, making both me and BEN jump 5 feet in the air. I looked at him, and he shook his head, signalling the he wasn't the one who did that.

 _"They say I'm trouble  
They say I'm bad  
They say I'm __**evil**_ _  
And that makes me glad_

 _A dirty no-good  
Down to the bone  
Your worst_ _ **nightmare**_ _  
Can't take me home_

 _So I got some mischief  
In my blood  
Can you blame me?  
I never got no __**love**_

 _They think I'm callous  
A low-life hood  
I feel so __**useless**_ _  
_ _ **Misunderstood!**_ _"_

I heard, and I smiled softly. This kinda might describe BEN. I sang softly that last part, Carlos', and remembered the way that Jack felt when nobody could see him, for 300 years. I felt like that now. Alone. Abandoned. At least...I used to. Before BEN came along. Huh. Everything's changed...ever since BEN arrived right smack damn in the middle of my life. BEN. When he arrived, everything DID change. There were the nightmares, but those could have been caused by Pitch...  
As I mused through the possibilities, I slowly started to feel my eyelids get droopy. I glanced up through the window, and was surprised to see that it was already dark outside. Soon, though, I fell into the realm of the sleeping, where I was welcomed to another good dream from Sandy...

BEN's POV

I felt Lily go limp, and her breathing slow to a pace that showed that she had fallen asleep. I smiled slightly, putting her properly on the bed, then pulling the blanket over her. When I turned away, though, I heard a crackling sound. I turned around, but something hard hit me smack in the middle of my forehead, knocking me out immediately.

-

I awoke, suddenly remembering that I was in Lily's room, and worrying for her safety. I dunno why. I sprung up, and the first thing I saw was a boy, crouched beside Lily's bed, staring at her like a blind man staring at the sun. His gaze, still locked to her, though, seemed saddened. I soon discovered what that crackling sound was. It was frost, slowly spreading across the carpet.  
The boy in question, well, he looked just like the one Lily had described; white hair, startling blue eyes, and very pale skin. He wore a blue hoodie covered with frost, along with tattered brown pants that looked like they were from the 1700's, and he was barefoot. He also had in his left hand, a Sheppard's staff, which glowed slightly blue. I glanced at the clock. It read 9:56 p.m. Okay...

"I miss her all the time, y'know."

He said suddenly, surprising me. He kept looking at Lily, and I decided to at least try to talk with this guy. Maybe he was dangerous, maybe he wasn't.

"Your that Jack Frost guy, aren't you?"

"The one and only. Now, I'd like to know who you are."

He said, finally turning to me. He had this smirk on his face, one that I recognized well. It kinda looked like Lily's smile. I sighed, and decided to tell him.

"I'm BEN. BEN Drowned. But..."

I suddenly remembered what Lily had told me. That she saved him. That she hadn't seen him for nearly 7 years. That he practically abandoned her. I suddenly grew angry. This guy, he thinks that he can just suddenly show up, and say that he missed her?! Wow, this guy must have some nerve!

"Y-Your the one that...you abandoned her!"

I shouted, and he winced, as if "you abandoned her" was a slap across his face. He sighed, and looked back at Lily, who was still sleeping peacefully.

"I never wanted to do that...I just did it to protect her. All this time, every time that I've seen her cry, I've just wanted to hug her, to tell her everything is okay. But I can't. Because if Pitch finds out, if he even gets remotely close to the fact that I still care...He'd hurt her, just to spite me, just to break me. I just want her to be safe, and happy...but I can't seem to do both at the same time. I want to try and let her know about what happened, but I can't..."

"She already remembers you. And the others. That's how I know who you are. In fact, she told me just today. She was crying over you, t'know that? And it seems that it hasn't been the first time. But, if you really missed her, then you wouldn't let her just cry on her own.  
For the past week, I've been the one that was there for her. I've been the shoulder for her to cry on. I wasn't the one who just up and left, leaving her to fend for herself. It breaks her heart, when she sees that look, in every kid's eyes.I can tell. It happened with Sally."

I told him, and the look on his face was priceless. It was a mixture of shock and confusion. He stared at Lily, the same look plastered on his face.

"She remembers...She remembers me?"

He whispered, and I nodded. He stared at her, and stood up. he looked down, the shaggy white hair falling over his eyes. I saw, but I think that I imagined it, his gaze flicker over to me for a second, then back to the ground. He ran a pale hand through his hair, and when he looked at me once more, he looked angry. This pretty much surprised me.

"So, your saying, your saying that she's remembered me? North, Tooth, Kangaroo, Sandy?!"

He practically yelled, and I slightly nodded, than added on,

"For 2 years..."

He stared at me, then, his look seeming to be sad, angry, happy, and confused all in one, Honestly, I nearly started laughing, he looked that ridiculous. I turned and stared at Lily again, and his gaze kept flickering between the both of us. He just started staring at Lily again, and then, in the lowest of whispers, I heard him ask,

"Two years...has it really been that long, since she remembered...?"

I started to feel my anger lessen, more and more by the second. This guy must have cared about her, or else he wouldn't be acting like this. I didn't know what to do. So I just said this.

"Hey, Jack...She's nearly 12 now. On April 7th next year, she'll be 13. She won't be a kid anymore. And, she's taken care of herself for the past 7 years, alone, without your help. She needed it, though. Sometimes, you just gotta let things go. But, Lil', she hasn't learned that yet.  
Seems to me, that ever since she DID remember, she hasn't let you, or the others go. She wants you back, y'know. She just wants to see you, and she's lost all of her trust, her faith, her happiness. But I was actually able to get a small bit of that back for her. You can't just leave her all alone from now on. That will just hurt her even more. You know what you have to do.  
You have to make sure that she doesn't give up on you.  
Or on anyone else."

I told him, and he stared at me, then softly smiled. That smile was the one that I knew was supposed to be there. I then started to feel tired. It was strange, since I was wide awake not 5 seconds ago. And then, I was out like a light.

-

I awoke again, on the ground in Lily's room, and groaned. Then, I remembered what had happened. I got up, cussing a little. That's when I felt my head start to throb, and I winced. Wow, I must've been hit **real** hard. I glanced at the clock on the bedside table. It read 3:35 a.m. Wow, I was out for a while...wait. What happened with Frosty, could that have been real? Nah, it was probably just a dream...or was it?  
I shook my head, chuckling. I could have been real. Or it could have been a dream. Either way, I knew that I was at least able to give somebody a taste of what reality was like. Loss. Pain. Loneliness. I sighed.  
I suddenly heard the same crackling sound as before, and got ready to defend myself, green electricity crackling in between my fingertips. I glanced over to the window, and saw white, fern patterns spiral across the glass.  
It was frost.  
I felt my face take on a surprised and shocked look.  
It **was** just a dream...wasn't it?


	9. Chapter 9

Lily's POV

I felt someone shaking me awake once more. I groaned shoving the hand off of me in annoyance. What did somebody have to do to get some goddamn sleep around here anymore?! When the hand went back to shaking me, I growled in anger. I swear to frickin' god, if they don't go bug somebody else, I am going to slap whoever is shaking me across their face.  
Nobody can just wake me up on their own accord, and not pay the consequences. I was having a really good dream, too! My anger immediately disappeared when I heard a dark voice chuckle. I froze, fear filling me. No, it isn't him, it isn't him, It just can't be...My mind told me, and I wanted so much to hide under my blanket, to hide from the man that I knew was there to get his revenge on me for saving his enemy all those years ago. I was SCREWED. I repeat, S-C-R-E-W-E-D. Pitch Black was here, I knew it for sure. I'd recognize that chuckle ANYWHERE. It was the same one that I had heard, right before everything had blacked out that night, in his lair. It was the same one that haunted me in my nightmares.  
I didn't want him here, I didn't want to lose everything again. I felt someone shaking me once more, and I gasped, shooting up in my bed, tears streaming down my face. I realized that it was a nightmare, I knew that it was, but it seemed too real to be one...I hugged my knees into my chest, fighting away the tears once more. No, I wouldn't give Pitch that satisfaction. I wouldn't let him see me like this, I wouldn't. I'm not giving up before this fight begins...

 **"Hello, Lily..."**

I heard a dark voice say, and my head shot up, frantically looking around the room. There was nobody here. I was confused. That's when I realized that the voice must be inside my head. But...who the hell is inside my head? That's the question.

 **"I am someone you shall know soon...quite, quite soon..."**

I was both confused and curious by this. What the heck was this guy talking about, whoever he was? I suddenly heard a loud crackling sound, and spun around, only to be met with a whack to the head with a very blunt object. I fell to the ground, my eyesight starting to grow blurry. Before I passed out, though, I made out the image of a boy who looked like BEN, but older, more like Link. His eyes were a deep red, and seemed to hold a familiar gleam in them. The gleam that...that...I felt blackness envelop me, it once more sucking me into the depths...

Dark Link's POV

I chuckled darkly at the image of the girl before me, lying limp on the floor. She was out cold, she was. I heard a sudden static sound come from the television, and I smirked. I saw the elf-boy step out, rage appearing in his fiery pupils. He glanced at the girl on the floor, and the rage grew.

"Oh, look who's come to play?"

"What the fuck did you do to her, Dark?"

"Hey, I just knocked her out! No big deal!"

I heard him growl, and I rolled my eyes. There wasn't anything that he could do to me. Besides, why the fuck was he even here, and why was he suddenly so concerned for this human girl? She was just ordinary, or, that's what I thought, at least.

"What's this human girl matter to you anyway? I mean, she's just any ordinary girl, but why this one? Does BENny have a little crush?"

I saw him go red in the face, probably with anger, despite his status of being technically dead. He shook his head, and I smirked. Oh, this was getting good. The red color retreated from his face, and it returned to it's normal pale color.

"I don't have a crush on her, Dark. She's just... **special**."

"Oh, really? What makes her so special, huh?"

"That, that's none of your business, asshole. So, why don't you go back to your "Master," and leave her the fuck alone?"

"Say, I can't really do that. You see, I'm here on his orders. I'm supposed to get the girl, and bring her to him. He wants something from her. Says she has something that can beat you and your little friends."

I told him, and his eyes grew wide with what I suppose was fear and surprise. Well, he did say that she was special, didn't he? Well, maybe now he knew exactly how she was special. As if reading my mind, he smirked.

"Nope, that's not what I mean by special, Dark. She isn't like most every other kid that I've stalked. Her past is, to say...more interesting, than others."

I frowned. Was there something he knew that I didn't? I hated that. I rolled my eyes once more.

"Well, I'm gonna go. I don't exactly have time for this. But, remember: I'll be back for the girl soon, so you better be on your guard."

I disappeared from sight, and started thinking about that girl...What exactly could she have that made Zalgo want her so much?

BEN's POV

As Dark Link disappeared, I felt my anger slowly disappear. I knew that Lillian wasn't safe here anymore. She had to come with me back to the Mansion. It was the only place that would be possibly safe for her. Yeah, there might be a ton of killers living there, but they lay a single finger on her to cause any sort of harm, and they're dead. I gently picked her up off of the ground, and winced when I saw a small cut on the back of her forehead, probably from when Dark knocked her out.  
I swear, if he hurts her again, he's dead.  
Goddamn dead.  
I teleported through the television, arriving in the one in the living room. Luckily, only Slender was there. He didn't look the least bit surprised, then again, he didn't even have a face. Kinda still confused on that part there.

"What happened, BEN?"

He asked, even though he could read my mind. I still didn't know why he'd do that. That's yet another thing about Slender that confused me.

"Dark Link showed up, knocked her out. He said that Zalgo wanted her for something, that she has something that can beat us. And..."

I saw Slender sigh, shaking his head.

"...This is probably the last place that is the slightest bit safe for her. Please, Slender. She has to stay here."

I said, and Slender, after a few minutes, nodded in the slightest way. He told me to put her in the guest bed room. I happily complied. It was just a plain room, nothing special. I set her down gently on the bed, pulling the blanket up over her. I suddenly noticed the way she looked when she was asleep. She looked so innocent, she looked like a happy kid. _But that's actually the opposite,_ I thought. Something inside me, the part that made me destroy the lives of others, the part that made me a monster, it told me to end her now, to just kill her right here right now. I shook my head furiously.  
No.  
I promised that I'd protect her.  
I told her that I wouldn't let anyone hurt her.  
 _I'm not going to hurt her, I'm not going to hurt her,_ I chanted in my mind, slowly backing away from the bed, where Lily, looking so peaceful, was sleeping soundly. I exited the room, and went back to my own.

 _What did I ever do to deserve this..._


	10. Chapter 10

Lily's POV

I felt something soft under me, and vaguely remembered that something happened last night...Oh, yeah. I was nearly kidnapped by Dark Link. But...How did I get here? I opened my eyes slightly, sitting up, and I heard a chuckle coming from the other end of the room.

"Looks like Sleeping Beauty has finally awoken. Good morning, Lillian."

I heard familiar voice say, and I turned my head to the side where, idly sitting in a chair, was Jeff The Killer, cleaning a knife. I was immediately confused by that fact. This wasn't my room. And Jeff was here. Why the hell was Jeff here, and where the hell was I? I heard Jeff chuckle yet again. Why the heck was he laughing? And why do I have so many questions all of a sudden?  
He chuckled again.

"Um...not to be rude, or anything, but, where the hell am I, and why the heck am I not in my bedroom?"

I asked, and he rolled his eyes. Okay then, I'm starting to think that he won't tell me a thing. I do have a right to know where I am, don't I?

"Where the fuck do you think you are?"

"Not exactly sure. I do know that you're here, though, and this isn't my bedroom. So, why don't you tell me where I am, smart one?"

I saw Jeff roll his eyes in annoyance. Well, he did deserve to be at least a little annoyed. I was actually pretty annoyed myself. And I knew that I might still have been kidnapped. But by whom, I'm still not sure.

"Your in the Mansion, Slenderdick let the elf keep you here since you were nearly kidnapped by Dark Link. Don't really know much else."

I nearly laughed at Jeff's nickname for Slenderman. Oh, boy. If Slenderman hears that, he might blow a gasket. I would if I were him, too. I hate it when people call me names. I started to remember one time when my boot was stolen and thrown in the trash, when I was in 4th grade. I suddenly saw Jeff waving one of his hands in my face, trying to get my attention.

"Hello, is Lil' in there?"

I scowled when I heard him call me that. He better not do that again, or I swear-

"Hey Lil' what's with your face?"

OKAY, THAT'S GODDAMN IT! I was about to start to strangle the insane killer in front of me when I heard a voice coming from the door.

"Jeff, when she looks like that, it means "You better back the fuck off before I fucking murder you." Besides, you shouldn't call her "Lil'." She starts yelling at anyone who does. And, even though I hate you, I really don't need Slender up my ass about her basically destroying you."

My head turned towards the doorway, where I saw BEN, leaning against the frame, a smirk plastered on his face. Jeff stared at him for a few minutes, then smirked again. Okay, that's starting to bug me. And that's really saying something, since only Jack's smirk would bug me most when I was little, and still does.

"Eh, your probably right. Probably why her face is so red, too."

For that, I punched him in the arm. HARD. I heard BEN snicker at Jeff's unamused face. I heard Jeff grumble that I must be stupid for doing that, but I quickly shut him up when I punched him again. That's when I saw Sally came into the room, clutching her teddy bear. Jeff suddenly had the look, like he was remembering something, and said to me,

"Hey, why'd you start crying before, when you saw Sally?"

I lowered my head, not wanting Jeff to see me cry. It already happened once, and I don't want it to happen again. I saw BEN's gaze waver to me cautiously, probably remembering the last time, when I talked to him about **it**. I knew that he was worried about what would happen next. I heard him try to caution Jeff, tell him that it wasn't a good idea to ask me about that, but Jeffery still wouldn't listen to the elf-boy.

"Seriously, what's the harm in asking a simple fucking question?"

"Smiley, you'll find out real fucking soon if you don't stop..."

I glanced at Sally, who was still clutching her teddy bear to her chest, staring at me curiously, as if I were an ancient artifact that had just been discovered, and was being displayed to the public for the first time. It was uncomfortable.  
Real. Frickin'. Uncomfortable.

"Jeff, she doesn't like to talk about it."

"So. Fucking. What?"

Okay-Wait. What the hell did he just say? "So What?" So what? SO WHAT?! Anger, instead of sadness, flooded me, it directed at the forever smiling killer that was less that a foot away from me. So what, huh? "So what," about my feelings towards that certain subject?! A simple "So what." to my opinion?!

"You don't care about anyone's feelings, do you Jeff?"

"What?"

"You don't care, you just want answers! Well, here's an answer for you!"

"Oh, shit...Smiley, you REALLY shouldn't have fucking done that..."

I heard BEN mumble, and he backed away slightly, as if I were about to explode. I jumped up and out of the bed, strided over to Jeffery, whom of which looked the slightest bit terrified. He was backed up against the wall now, and, despite me being shorter than him by about 2 feet, cowered away from me.

"HERE'S AN ANSWER FOR YOU! I LOST **EVERYTHING** THAT MATTERED TO ME, MY **FAMILY** , MY **FRIENDS** , EVERYONE THAT EVER **MATTERED** TO ME, **EVERYONE** WHO THOUGHT THAT MY FEELINGS **MATTERED**! BUT, YOU **DON'T** KNOW HOW THAT FEELS, DO YOU?! YOU **DON'T** KNOW, **NOBODY** DOES! THEY WERE THE ONLY ONES THAT I FELT EVEN **REMOTELY** CARED! THEY WERE THE ONLY **FRIENDS** THAT I HAD, AND NOW I'M CALLED **INSANE** BY **EVERYONE** AT MY GODDAMN SCHOOL **BECAUSE** OF IT!"

I screamed at him, and that's when I realized that we had an audience. Just about every Creepypasta that I knew of was in the doorway, staring at me, mouths gaping, except for Slenderman, having his blank face as usual. Okay then, my screaming hasn't usually attracted that much attention before. Jeff, though, he looked scared out of his wits. Not surprising. Just a simple step towards any of the boys in my class, except for a few, and they would run away screaming their heads off.  
And everyone was gawking at me as if I had seven heads.

"We h-heard *tic* screaming, a-and c-came *tic* up..."

Toby stuttered, staring at me through his orange goggles, which were obscuring the color of his eyes, and what look they held. Meanwhile, I saw Jane The Killer smirking.

"Well, I feel that the bastard deserved that. And, why're you crying? And what did you mean when you said all of that?"

she asked, and that's when I felt the tear streaks that ran down my face. Well, I guess that the Baby Tooth is outta the cage now. I looked down to the ground, and glanced at BEN. He was staring at me like I was insane. And, that, my friends, (Not that I have any) is the look that I get the most often back home(Not that it really felt like home).

"Exactly what I meant when I said it..."

"Okay. I'm not gonna push the matter further like Jeff The Asshat here, since I really don't want you screaming at me, because it will probably make my ears bleed."

"That's not why I screamed at him..."

"What?"

"He said "So what" when BEN told him that I didn't like to talk about it, and that gave me the impression that he didn't care about how I felt about the subject."

I told her, giving a short death glare to Jeff, and then I started to brace myself for the laughter that I knew would soon erupt all around me, squeezing my eyes shut. Instead, all I heard was silence. and then, I felt a pair of small arms wrap around my waist. I opened my eyes, and saw Sally, hugging me-wait, she was _hugging_ me? What in the name of Frost?  
Why the heck was she hugging me?

"It's okay. You don't have to be sad. Jeffy is just mean sometimes."

She told me, and I felt a smile twitch at the corners of my mouth. I finally smiled in what felt like the first time in forever. How good it felt to smile...I haven't been smiling lately, have I? _Well, that's to be expected. I'm bullied, my father left when I was 7, and I lost all but everything when I was only 5..._ No, mind, shut up. Don't make me think about that right now. _But-_ Shut up.

"Yeah, he can."

I said, and Sally giggled, then pulling me out of the room, telling me that we were going to go have a tea party. I smiled. It's actually been a while since I've been around real kids. Ones that know how to have fun with their imaginations. Ones that act however they want. Ones that can imagine who and whatever they want to. Kids that don't make fun of me for my past.  
Ones like me.


	11. Chapter 11

Sally's POV

 _1 Week Later..._

I like Lily, because she's really nice. She cries a lot too, though. She says that she misses her friends, or her family. I remember my mommy. And my daddy. I told her that we were her family, and that I was her friend now. She would just shake her head no, and say that she meant other people, different people. I'm playing with Charlie right now, when I hear someone singing. It sounds really pretty, too. I got up from my chair, and held Charlie as I followed the sound, and got in front of Lily's room.  
I saw BENny there too. He looked like he was confused. He saw me, and put a finger to his mouth, telling me to stay quiet. I nodded, copying him. I kept hearing the singing. It started on a different song now. But it sounded sadder. It sounded like whoever was singing had started to cry.

 _"Musing through memories  
Losing my grip in the grey  
Numbing the senses  
I feel you slipping away  
Fighting to hold on  
Clinging to just one more day  
Love turns to ashes  
With all that I wish could say_

 _I'd die to be where you are  
I tried to be where you are_

 _Every night I dream you're still here  
The ghost by my side, so perfectly clear  
When I awake, you disappear  
Back to the shadows  
With all I hold, dear  
With all I hold, dear  
I dream you're still here_

 _Hidden companion  
Phantom be still in my heart  
Make me a promise that  
Time won't erase us  
That we were not lost from the start_

 _I'd die to be where you are  
I tried to be where you are_

 _Every night I dream you're still here  
The ghost by my side, so perfectly clear  
When I awake, you disappear  
Back to the shadows  
With all I hold, dear  
With all I hold, dear  
I dream you're still here_

 _I dream you're still here  
Ever slightly out of reach  
I dream you're still here  
But it breaks so easily  
I try to protect you  
I can't let you fade_

 _I feel you slipping  
I feel you slipping away_

 _Every night I dream you're still here  
The ghost by my side, so perfectly clear  
When I awake, you disappear  
Back to the shadows  
With all I hold, dear  
With all I hold, dear  
I dream you're still here  
I dream you're still here  
Every night I dream you're still  
Every night I dream you're still here..."_

I heard the person start crying, and I looked at BENny. He looked sad. I don't know why. He opened the door, and went inside. I followed him, and saw lily by the window, crying. She was looking at a patch of frost on her window. I think that she saw us, but probably didn't.  
Why is she so sad?

BEN's POV

I'm in my room, playing Super Smash Bro's, when I suddenly hear singing. I froze, instantly recognizing the tone. It was a sad one. And I recognized the singing. It was Lillian's. I paused the game, and got up, walking out of my room and poking my head out of the door. Yep; it was definitely Lillian who was singing. I crept silently down the hall, being careful not to bring any attention to myself. I soon got to the room, and heard her; yes, she was definitely upset about something.  
I was confused. Why was she singing? It was weird. Sally suddenly came, and I motioned for her to be quiet. She copied me, and I heard the song suddenly change. Now, it sounded as if she was crying-while she was singing...That's never happened before. As the song ended, I opened the door, and slowly and quietly crept into the room. She was staring at the window, on a certain spot. On that spot, I saw, was frost. I suddenly knew why she was crying _and_ singing. The frost on the window had reminded her of Jack, and I remembered how she told me once that she was trying to talk to him, trying to get him to hear her.  
Little did she know, he already did, if the things I saw before _really did_ happen. I saw, in her reflection, that her eyes seemed to glow...that they were a _brighter_ green than before. Her eyes, when she doesn't cry, are a green color with small, blue specks. But, now that I pay attention, it seems that they're a brighter color, and the blue is more visible. Actually, it seems that they're even more blue, now that I look closer.  
Is that normal for a mortal?  
And, if it isn't...  
...how is it possible?  
I crept closer to her, and she suddenly spun around, her eyes widened in surprise. Shit, she must have seen me. She looked down, and I knew that she was ashamed of herself, because she'd cried in front of me. I had a feeling from her, one that suggested that she didn't want to be weak in other's eyes. I also has the feeling that it broke her, that it drove her to near insanity, knowing that others here could be whispering about her behind her back, laughing at her. That, I knew from that one time I went to her school. And then there's the fact that she's been having a rather lot of nightmares lately. Yet, we never know what their about, nor where they come from, because she doesn't talk about them. They must be horrible, since screaming always jolts me, and others in the Mansion, awake and alert. Jeff, I'm guessing, doesn't even give a damn about how terrified she gets, only that it wakes him up. That's what actually really pisses me off.  
It's too weird. How she doesn't just give up when the going gets tough. How she tries to pull through, tries to be open, yet shuts herself off from the rest of the world. In the time that I was stalking her, I saw that she was rather comfortable online. She was way more open, than in the real world. Her insecurities immediately disappeared, and she actually enjoyed herself way more. Especially when she was writing. She loved to write, and I would often see her typing away at the keyboard, her fingers lightning quick, and they went even _faster_ when an idea struck her. I would know when she had an idea, since her eyes would light up with excitement. I was actually stumped at how she could be excited about a simple idea for a story, but that was before I read a few chapters. Yes, I have read some of each. It seems that she makes them about imaginary characters, or so I thought before both what Lillian had told me and my encounter with her long-lost friend, though I didn't consider him as a "friend." He _has_ left her all alone for years, hasn't he? Friends don't do that, though I haven't really had any, in both my mortal and Creepypasta life.  
Sure, there are others here, just like me, they're killers, while Lillian is just a mortal, whom of which has not killed in her life. But, she's different, than other mortals. For example, she actually _stood up_ to me when I first appeared to her in person, and threatened to squirt me with a water gun. I suddenly remembered when she was sending one of what she liked to call her "Death Glares" towards one of the boys in her class. I remembered him looking terrified. Now, this was the day that I'd gone to school with her. But, that look of fear, it left me wondering, wondering how a simple glare from her could make him terrified. It was weird. All of this, all of it was just insane, despite my diagnosis of being so. I suddenly felt the urge to ask Lily exactly what happened that night, because that might give an explanation as to what makes her so damn scary to others. What makes the boys run away from her. What makes her so kind to children, especially the younger ones.  
But, most of all, why she's different from the rest.

Lily's POV

As I stared at the ground, I remembered that night, and what I knew happened, how Pitch had nearly destroyed Jack, and how I was different ever since then...I suddenly remembered the nightmares, and mentally cringed. They were the worst part of it. I was hurting them, and Pitch was making me...I can still hear them, it's torturing me, it's driving me to insanity...I can't hide from him, he's always finding me, he'll never stop torturing me, I want him to go away already, I can't take this anymore...He knows that this is breaking me, I know that he 's going to come sooner or later, come to finish what he started all that time ago...It's all I can do not to scream, scream at that horrible memory, the one that haunted me, the one with my childhood friend, with Jack, him yelling, him with fear in his eyes at the sight of me...

"H-Help me..."

I whispered, those two words meant for the ones that would make it all better, the ones that could drive him away, the ones that should be here now...I heard static-like sounds in the air, and knew that Slenderman was coming. When they stopped, I heard the faceless man in my head.

 _"What is the matter, child?"_

I vaguely remembered a boy in my class...He'd call me child, actually, he'd call most everyone child. He was in my desk group, in my class, at school...Even more tears began to brim in my eyes, at the memory that forced it's way into my mind, pushing away that other vague memory. The memory of the nightmare, their screams, their pleas, my insane laughter, it all forced it's way into my mind's eye, and the heartbreak, the pain started stabbing at my heart again and again...He would never give up, not until I broke, not until I was driven to the brink of insanity, then he would make me his puppet, his way of breaking the Guardians apart, of picking them off one by one...

 _"Is this what has made you so upset in the past week, child?"_

I slowly nodded yes, my hands now grabbing at my hair, yanking at it, as if it were a curse placed upon me. My head started pounding, and the pain stopped, so suddenly that it surprised me. But then...An exploding pain wracked through my entire body, and I could very faintly hear chuckling, which burst into full-on laughter within seconds. It hurt so much, it felt as if I was being ripped apart...

3rd Person POV

Lillian suddenly let out an ear-piercing scream, which made BEN cover his elfin ears to protect them from the sound, forcing his eyes to close as to not see the girl that was a mere 2 feet away from him.. The sound itself was horrible, filled with pain and anguish. BEN could not believe that the 11 year-old girl could make a horrible sound like that. It was nearly too horrible for him to describe, but he knew that he had made that scream once; back when he was but a mortal, and he was drowning, when he made made that desperate scream for help. Yet the scream that Lillian was making now seemed different; it wasn't a desperate plea for help, it was one begging for the pain to end, one that _wanted_ the end.  
Then, the screaming stopped.  
BEN forced his eyes open, though mentally he didn't want to see the state that Lillian was in. What he saw made him freeze, as still as a block of ice. The pounding of many pairs of shoes on stairs refused to catch his attention, as numerous Creepypasta's burst in through the doorway, LJ, Toby, Liu, and Clockwork among the group. LJ, instead of laughing insanely at the sight, as he usually would have, just stared, his face blank of any emotion. Sally, whom of which had her sight blocked by the lot of them, pushed her way through, still clutching Charlie the Teddy Bear in her small hands, a look of determination to see what happened etched on her young face. She finally managed to get to the front, and she was confused by what she saw. The golden-brown-haired girl that she had befriended was lying on the ground, seemingly inanimate. A single tear slid slowly down Lillian's face, dropping onto the wooden floor on which she lay.  
There was only a single thought that nearly everyone shared, except for Slenderman.  
 _What in the Devil's name happened?_


	12. Chapter 12

_"That's life for you.  
Someone always waiting for someone who never comes home.  
Always someone loving some thing more than that thing loves them.  
And after a while you want to destroy whatever that thing is, so it can't hurt you no more."_

 _McDunn,  
The Fog Horn._

3rd Person POV

It had now been days since the incident, and BEN had started to worry, which was very unlike him, especially when that worry was for a mere mortal. It had confused most of the Creepypasta's when Lillian had not awoken, but for some, like BEN, and LJ, were having second thoughts about what had happened. Slenderman, though, was the only one who truly knew what had happened to the 11-year-old girl. He, though, was not keen on sharing this information with others, especially BEN and Sally. He did know, though, that they would figure it out eventually. Little did he know, that the elfin boy mentioned had already figured out parts of the puzzle. Yet neither of them knew exactly what Lillian was experiencing in her sleep-like state.  
Where she was, she was surrounded by darkness, it seeming to shroud the place where she dwelt. Every minute seemed to pass like an hour, every hour like a day. She had no significant idea of where she was, nor how long she had been there. All she knew was the darkness surrounding her, and the faint whispers from the past that she had for so long tried to shut out of her life. And then there was the faint music, the lullaby-like song that seemed to calm her when she was upset. She thought that she knew what this place that she was trapped in was, and that she had been there once before, yet dismissed it as her imagination. Then, finally, what felt like weeks after she had arrived in this black void, something, no, _someone_ , came.  
She saw him as a stranger at first, but soon recognized the features that made her remember, remember that she had met this boy once. It seemed millions and millions of years ago to her, millions of heartbreaking years, those years that had led her to this time and place. He had watched her grow from the small, shy 5-year-old that he had once known, to the brave, outgoing 11-year-old that he was with now. He knew that she had changed very much through the years, for he had watched it happen; but he still knew that the girl that he had befriended was still there, even if it was hidden under years and years of change.  
As he drew closer to Lillian, he remembered all those times, all those times when he had helped her up when she'd fallen. But that was in the past, as so many of his mistakes were. Naming a few, leaving the girl that was before him all alone for all of those years, leaving her to cry by herself, letting the others at her school make her suffer. He'd made the decision that he could hide from her no longer, that he wouldn't cause her any more pain. He had tried to persuade the others, make them see sense, but they were sticking to the original decision that had been made: to leaver her clueless of what had happened, just to protect her. But, they didn't know how alone Lily was, how many times she cried because she was alone, and the boy could not escape the fact that it was his fault that she was so alone. He knew from the start that getting too close to her would be a mistake, that it would cause trouble. Yet, he'd let the memory of his sister, and how Lily was like her in so many ways, get to him, this being the result of that weakness.  
When he finally reached her, he bent down, his icy blue eyes meeting her green ones, the ones in which the blue had reduced to mere flecks. He knew that she had wanted this moment, he had known even before he found out that she remembered, it was only then that it surfaced. He had always kept that nagging feeling deep inside, the one that urged him to break the rule that kept her safe, break the rule that been put in place, he somehow knew, to keep their enemy from returning to power. He knew, somehow, what was going on inside her head, what was running through her mind, what her thoughts circled around right now.

"J-Jack...?"

BEN's POV

I was pacing, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. I'm starting to get worried, she hasn't woken up for days now, I don't know what's happening, what did Dark mean by "special" he doesn't know about her past, does he? How can she have something that Zalgo wants, she's just a normal 11-year-old girl-

"Dude, stop before you pace a fucking hole in the ground!"

the voice suddenly interrupted my thinking, and my eyes glanced towards the forever-smiling killer that sat in a chair mere feet away from me, whom of which was sharpening a knife. He was looking to be more annoyed by the second. I sighed, shaking my head, as I sat down on the bed. Jeff went back to sharpening his knife, and I decided that I would play a video game, yeah, that might calm me down...I picked up a Wii controller from the ground, and put on MarioCart, and started racing the other characters, yet still my thoughts all surrounded Lillian. I kept remembering, remembering when I would see her playing with Sally, when I'd see her in the spare room, reading and humming to herself. Her voice started filling my head, one song in particular she was singing. I tried to remember the name, but the memory refused to surface...

"Hey, Elf, have you noticed that your losing?"

Jeff's voice shook me away from my thoughts once more. That's when I remembered; I had heard her singing it to Sally...it was a lullaby...Nocturne, I think...I started hearing her voice, the melody in her words... _"Now let the day, just slip away. So the dark night may watch over you. Velvet blue, silent true. It embraces your heart and your soul...Nocturne..."_ I suddenly awoke from my stupor when Jeff chucked the knife he was cleaning at my head. I ducked, the sharp object hitting the wall beside me and moving back and forth, it was thrown with so much force. I frowned at him, and he shook his head, getting up and walking over and having to yank it to free his knife from the wall; it had made a deep mark where it had embedded into the old wood. I knew that Slender wouldn't be very happy about that.

"What the fuck happened to make you this bad at video games?"

"Fuck off."

I retorted, and I heard Jeff chuckle. Me, bad at video games, had he gone insane? Wait, he actually did go insane. Oh, well. At least Jeff would be leaving to go killing soon enough, then he would finally leave me the fuck alone. I swear to God, everyone is suddenly following me around as if I'm about to be kidnapped at any fucking second! Can these people give me a fucking break already?! I heard the door open and then close an half-hour later, and I got up, then started walking around the Mansion. I started hearing her singing again, and I smiled slightly. The song had started over again, and I nearly started humming along.  
 _"Now let the day. Just slip away. So the dark night may watch over you. Velvet blue, silent true. It embraces your heart and your soul. Nocturne...Never cry, never sigh. You don't have to wonder why. Always be, always see. Come and dream the night with me. Nocturne...Have no fear. When the night draws near. And fills you with dreams and desire. Like a child asleep. So warm, so deep. You will find me there waiting for you. Nocturne...We will fly to the sky. We don't have to wonder why. Always be, always see. Come and dream the night with me. Nocturne. Though darkness lay. It will give way. When the dark night delivers the day. Nocturne..."  
_ I suddenly stopped by Slender's office. A sudden urge filled me to knock on the door, to find out what was really going on. I wanted to know the truth, I needed to know the goddamn truth! I knocked on the door, and heard Slender say come in. I walked in, and there he was, looking as calm as ever, seated at his chair that sat behind the large oak desk.

"Sit down, BENjamin."

I did as he told, not wanting to get him angry, and then get him to refuse telling me the truth.

"Slender, I need you to tell me the truth about what's wrong. I know that your saying that she'll wake up soon, but it's been days. We both know that she might not be simply "waking up" anytime soon. So I think that it might be best to tell me now before others start asking questions."

I told him, and I heard the faceless man sigh. I hope that's a good sign. He got up from his seat, and turned to the window, clasping his hands together behind his back. He looked tense, worried, even. Is it about what Dark Link said before?

"I am afraid, BEN, that this may be Zalgo's doing."

"What the fuck do you mean, "This may be Zalgo's doing," he hasn't dared even show his cowardly face for years!"

"That does not mean that he will not try and take over someone. You do remember how you were the one who dealt the final blow, do you not?"

"Yes..."

He has chosen Lillian for that one of two reasons."

"What's the other reason?"

"She has...something, that he desires. A certain power, let us say."

"Slender, she's 11 years old, how the fuck does she have something Zalgo wants?"

"She has many secrets, BEN. Some that she does not even feel comfortable sharing with you, her closest friend at this time."

Okay, now I'm starting to think that he's going the slightest bit bonkers. Lillian's a child still, how the hell can she even remotely be of any interest to that idiot Zalgo? As if reading my mind(Which he probably did), he answered my question.

"She has a power that Zalgo has never had. The power of sacrifice. The power to be brave enough to sacrifice the most important things to you, for someone that means something to you. Few people, very few, especially children, have that power. Children are normally afraid of most things. Lillian, or, as you call her, Lily, was a very spirited child, though. She would go to any lengths to protect others, but mostly, her friends, which, if I remember right, were a girl named Ashley, The Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, Sandman, and their newest member, which was Jack Frost."

"Oka-Wait how the fuck do you know all of that?"

"I have my sources, BEN. But that is beside the point. Zalgo, he thinks that, without her soul inside the protection of her body, he will have a better chance at getting that power. He thinks that it is the key to destroying us; but he is very wrong. He is, at the moment, trying to figure out why it isn't working-yes, BEN, he has already tried taking that power away from Lillian, and has succeeded. There is another power of hers, though. She has the power to scare people, to bend them to her will. Such as, when she glares at some of the boys that were in her class at school, they would cower away from her, and even fear her at times. Lillian does not know of this power, but I, and now you, do. It is crucial that Zalgo does not know of this information.  
I do have a theory on how she got that certain power. When Pitch had nearly turned her into a fearling, someone to do his bidding, and the Sandman attempted to banish the evil from her, some of it remained, allowing her to terrify whomever she pleased. She did not enjoy this power at all, as you would suspect. All she would like to do is help others, to make sure that they do not end up meeting the same fate that she has: The fate that she thinks is horrible. The fate of being all alone, of never getting to see your true friends again. She would like no one to suffer that fate, yet, with the situation her soul is in at the moment, you may suffer that exact fate. I know how you feel about her, BEN. I know that you think there is not another person-Creepypasta, Mortal, or Other-that you are able to compare your past life to. You feel that she knows of your pain, what it feels like to drown. She did nearly drown once but that was when Jackson was there to save her."

Okay, now I was getting confused. How did he know all of this? Wait-She nearly drowned, but Jack was there to pull her from the water...Maybe he really did care...No, stop that. Howe does he know so much about her life? Has he been watching her? No...He can't have...

"You've been watching her, haven't you, Slender?"

"Yes, BENjamin. I have been watching her ever since she met the Winter Spirit."

"Why?"

"Because that's when her power had started to show through, the power of Sacrifice. And I was not surprised when she nearly died for the boy. Those two were closer than a brother and sister, they were. Inseparable. Even when I would try to harm her, lure her into the forest, he would be at her side, making sure that no harm came to her. It was strange, how much that boy cared, and still does, about her. You must understand, BEN, that she has a power, one that she cannot control. That is a dangerous thing, especially when she is nearly a teenager. Then, they shall only get worse. She, I know, is a target for the one they call Pitch Black. He is hoping that he shall break her spirit, make her forget the Guardians who have protected her throughout most of her life. He wants to use her as a puppet, he wants to use her weaknesses as his strengths. He, in short, wants to make her turn her back on the family that she had known, forgotten, and then remembered, only to be haunted by the fact that she may never see them again. She is haunted by the fact that they may never know that pain that she suffers."

I winced slightly when he said the words "Puppet," "Target," and "Inseparable." I knew that she cared about them, bu this was just a bit much. I know how painful it feels, the pain that she experiences, just living in a world where whispers, taunts, and rumors are what is your reputation. They think that she's weak, he does, but she isn't, I know that she isn't. She's surrounded by rumors, by pain, it's a wonder how she can take it all. So, she has powers...Okay, I knew that her life was screwed a little bit, but to have powers...that's going a little over the line that separates "crazy" from "insane." Oh, well. I know that she won't give up without a fight. And I'm usually right about these things. I just hope that she can hold out long enough to come back...


	13. Chapter 13

3rd Person POV

Just seeing her childhood friend, the one that she had missed so much, brought Lillian to near tears. She had hoped that she would see him once more, she had wanted to know if he remembered her, if he remembered the snowball fights that they used to have...That's when something suddenly forged it's way into her mind. She had forgotten him, she had made so many mistakes, wasted so much time...It took all the strength that she had left not to burst into tears at that moment, to cry her heart out right then and there. Right up to this moment, it felt as if her life was spinning in a nosedive, heading straight towards the ground, every single minute fear having control over her, fear that her life will never be normal again, that she will suffer the loss of her friends for the rest of her life-  
Her thoughts were abruptly cut off as she, without the slightest bit of control, hugged the winter spirit, his cold body temperature chilling her to the very bone, but she didn't care. She just cared that he was there, that there was the slightest possibility that he still cared. One part of her, the one that had already grown up, was shocked by her actions; it thought that she should be furious with him, for leaving her alone, for _flat-out ignoring her_. The other half of her, the one that was still in a child-like state, was in pure ecstasy; Jack had finally come back, maybe they could have a snowball fight later, or maybe she could see Bunny, Tooth, North and Sandy again, and maybe see Baby Tooth, Phil, the Elves, the giant eggs in Bunny's Warren too!  
That's when it started. Memories of this boy started fading away, into the black abyss that surrounded her. Memories of all her childhood friends started fading away, at least, that happy, fun-filled ones did. The ones where anger, frustration, or pure fear was the center in the rest of the memories; and even those were very vague and fuzzy. Lillian's face suddenly twisted into one of confusion, one that mirrored shock, and, not surprisingly, fear. She suddenly did not recognize the boy that she was hugging, suddenly did not know him, did not remember him as one of her only friends from her early childhood...  
She slowly stopped hugging him, and stared blankly at the boy in front of her, whom of which now looked the slightest bit worried. He didn't know what exactly had happened, but he knew that it definitely wasn't good. Her bright green eyes had a glazed-over look, and then, she suddenly cackled, an insane laughter rippling from the child in front of him. He was terrified; he had never heard her make such a sound before, such a terrifying sound, one filled to the brim with insanity.  
Then, she collapsed to the ground, starting to writhe in pain. Jack did not know what to do, he had no experience with this. He knew that he had to do something, but he had no clue of what that something was. He felt himself slipping away from her, slipping away from the world that she was now in, but he tried to fight back, tried to stay, so he could try and help her. Yet, he slipped out of the dark, black void of that world, and back into his own, leaving the 11-year-old girl alone once again.  
There was now a mist, as black as the darkest night, surrounding Lillian, trying to push it's way closer, yet was met with a sort of invisible force field. it kept fighting against the force that was keeping it at bay, the darkness hungry for the girl's pain, the girl's fear that was taking hold of her by now. Suddenly, a part of the black mist slipped through the barrier, and a tinge of black started at the roots of her hair, soon spreading rapidly, turning her once golden-brown hair to jet-black. She also started to grow paler as the black mist slowly starting to slip past the invisible barricade. Suddenly, she lay still, as the mist, slowly turning to sand, starting infecting her mind with fake memories; ones that were centered around nightmares, ones that showed her getting her snapping, ones that did not include The Guardians as her friends, but her mortal enemies. Ones that she should either destroy, or be destroyed by them. Her eyes opened, their previously bright green completely gone; they were now a cold, sickly yellow, just like the ones of the King Of Nightmares.  
She had finally given into the dark.

BEN's POV

I had gone back to my room after Slender had finished with his explanation. I was now playing A random game, my concentration on beating the Boss of this level. I suddenly heard a frantic pounding on the door, which was closed and locked, so I could have my privacy. The others were probably back by now, but why was there someone pounding on my fucking door like there was an emergency?!

"Hey, Elf, open the door, something happened!"

I heard someone yell through the old wood, and recognized the voice almost immediately as Eyeless Jack's, and it sounded the slightest bit paranoid. He's nearly never paranoid, so what the fuck could happen to make him? When I didn't answer, I heard him say,

"It's about Lillian!"

Now, that caught my attention. I immediately dropped the remote control, and raced to the door as if it were the way to escape out of a nightmare. I unlocked it, then threw it open, much to EJ's surprise.

"What happened?"

"We're not exactly sure what's happening to her, but Slender doesn't think that it's good."

"That's not answering my question."

I growled, starting to get impatient. Why wasn't he answering my damn question?! He shook his head, then mumbled something like, "It's better if I just show you," and then swiftly turned, striding down the hallway, me following him. We soon arrived in the room where Lily was in, and Slender, Clockwork, and Toby were there too. What I saw next shocked me, and sent shivers through my body. Lily's previously golden-brown hair was now a pure black color, her skin pale as death itself.

"What happened, Slender?"

I asked, trying to hide my fear, but my voice betrayed me; it was laced with that particular feeling. Slender sighed, shaking his head. I knew that this was not normal in the slightest. I know that this is not something that should happen to an 11-year-old. Yet, Lillian isn't exactly a normal 11-year-old, is she? Suddenly, Lillian wasn't in the bed anymore; she was now in a corner, glaring at each of us in turn, her gaze lingering when she met mine. Her eyes were a cold, piercing yellow color, and it literally gave me the chills, even though I'm practically dead. That's when I realized why she was staring at us like that.  
And I also realized that we were screwed.


	14. Chapter 14

BEN's POV

We're screwed, I know it. She isn't the same, the Lillian that I know is gone, replaced by this thing. Seriously, she was now starting to scare the hell out of me. Suddenly, I saw something about her, something that made it seem like she was a cornered animal. Her yellow eyes were desperately searching for a way out, searching for a way to escape. I realized that she must be scared, no, terrified-wait, hold on. She wasn't scared of us before. For god's sake, she even stood up to LJ!  
That's when I realized the truth.  
She didn't remember us.

"Child, do you know who, and where you are?"

Slender said in a calming tone, as if Lillian was a lost child crying for their mother or father. Lily rapidly shook her head, and that is when I saw the fearful look that was evident in her eyes. I knew that she was fearing that we would hurt her. I knew that she would attack if she deemed it necessary. That's what I would do. I slowly started to walk towards her, and she started to shrink back, pressing herself as much as she could into the corner behind her, in at least some effort to get away from me. Once I was in front of her, she was crouching now, and looked more terrified than I had ever seen her. I knelt down, until I was at her height. She was staring at the ground now, her eyes clenched shut, probably in an effort to avoid my gaze. I lifted her chin up; her eyes were still squeezed shut.

"Lillian, open your eyes."

Her face did not show any emotion now, but I still knew that she was terrified, and shocked at the same time. She didn't open her eyes.

"...Look at me, Lily."

Now, her facial expression mirrored one of shock and confusion, as her eyes opened. I knew that she had so many questions running through her mind, the top 3 probably being: 1: How does he know my name and my nickname? 2: Who the hell is he? and 3: Where the hell am I? She looked like she was about to voice these questions when I interrupted her.

"You'll know soon. Slender, does she remember anything about us?"

I asked the faceless man, my gaze never leaving the girl in front of me. She now started to look more closer at the others in the room, her gaze lingering on Slender for a few more moments. A spark of recognition suddenly appeared in her eyes when their gaze fell once again to me. A spark of hope resounded within me, hope that she might just remember.

"Some things, yes, but they are fuzzy to her, but...she does not remember them as her friends, but as enemies."

I heard Slender say from behind me, and I knew immediately the "them" meant The Guardians. And I knew that the only person that would want her to think that her best friends are her enemies was Pitch Black, the guy that she told me was the one who had scarred her childhood. A growl rose up out of my throat.

"Who. Did. It?"

I asked, even though I already knew the answer. And I wanted to destroy that guy, no matter who or what he was for doing this. I didn't sense that childish nature in Lillian anymore. She's different, and he's the cause of it. He did this to her, he made her hurt inside, he made her feel all of the pain in her life, he's the one that made her cry all the time, made her cry herself to sleep...  
I suddenly remembered once, when I'd overheard Lillian telling Sally about the Tooth Fairy. She told her that the Tooth Fairy, every time she collected a tooth from a child, the tooth contained childhood memories. Maybe...If I found a way to get something that would remind her of Jack, or any of the others, then she might remember...


	15. Chapter 15

?'? POV

I smiled. Ah, so this was what Slenderman was hiding from me? Well, I'm sorry, but the cat is out of the bag now. I have been researching the girl's past, and she is getting more and more extraordinary with everything I find. It seems that she has another power, one that Mr. Faceless has tried to keep from me. Well, he does not know that you can never keep a secret from me for long. Seems that she can scare anyone that she pleases with a simple look. And, for the fact that she does not remember any of the good, happy times in her life, shall make it even more easier for me to corrupt her mind. At least, if those damn Guardians don't get in the way.  
At least, their enemy has made my job the slightest bit easier. I have a feeling that he, too, planned to corrupt her, but to use her against those "Guardians Of Childhood," as they call themselves. I scowled at the mere thought of them. If the girl suddenly remembered them, they would be the only things in the way of me getting to her. So, if that happens, I will have to interfere...

BEN's POV

I'm in the Living Room at the moment, listening to Slender drone on and on about how Easter was tomorrow. The only reason I really cared at all this years was because I might be able to make contact with the Guardian Of Hope, as I heard Lillian call him once. Also, he's the Easter-Fucking-Rabbit.  
Whoop-de-fucking-do.  
I'm definitely going to have a nice time tomorrow.  
Well, at least I might be able to get a message to that Tooth Fairy. If those Guardians really did still care, than they wouldn't ignore this. I mentally shake my head. They've ignored her for years, so why the fuck would they listen to me? I started wondering how the Easter Rabbit would react when he found out that his friend had gone cuckoo. Well, he'd probably freak out. But, no worries. It's not like he'll throw a damn bomb at me, is it?

(The Next Day...)

Today is Easter, also the day when I'm gonna attempt to try and find that Easter Bunny, the Guardian of Hope. He might be able to find that Tooth Fairy, who has Lillian's memories. And, Lillian needs her memories because some asshole decided to make her think that her childhood friends are her enemies. So, yeah, her life's been screwed for the last little while-No, scratch that-her life's been screwed ever since some guy with a stupid name tried to destroy one of her friends. I was outside, searching throughout the bushes for the Easter Bunny. I know, I know, I'm a complete fucking idiot. I finally started to kick around rocks, growing frustrated.

"Where the hell is that stupid rabbit?!"

I yelled, zapping a shrub with a bolt of electricity and accidentally lighting it on fire.

"Shit..."

I muttered, and then heard a voice behind me.

What the bloody 'ell'd ya' do that for? That plant never did anythin' ter' ya'."

I froze, before turning around and seeing a 7' tall frickin' rabbit.  
With blue and white fur.  
And it was standing on it's hind legs.  
Well, I guess that I found the Easter Bunny.  
When he saw my face, he immediately got out a pair of Boomerangs, holding them threateningly. I nearly rolled my eyes. Of course he would start to freak out, typical...

"Okay, you can put those away. Besides, if I really wanted to hurt you, I'd have done it by now. Anyways, this is about something else."

I paused for a minute, but the rabbit didn't lower the boomerangs. And I had a feeling that he wouldn't anytime soon. I continued, trying my hardest to keep my eyes on the gargantuan Rabbit.

"I'm BEN, BEN Drowned. And, your Bunnymund, or Bunny, I know. I'll tell you how I know that in a minute. You see, I know this person, but they are't exactly ordinary. They are bullied at school, and have no friends whatsoever there. They would all taunt her, nearly to the point of insanity. Sound familiar?"

I asked, cocking my head to the side. I could see the look in the rabbit's eyes, like he was struggling to make a connection to anything from his past, but slightly shook his head after a few minutes. I continued once more.

"Well, Lemme give you a few hints. 1, something happened to her when she was 5, and that thing changed her life. 2, she has been looking for a group of people for nearly 2 years now. And 3, her birthday is going to be almost a week from now. Know who it is now? Oh, wait, also, I remember her saying that she'd used to have snowball fights with one of them."

I told him, and I saw his green eyes go wide. I pretty much knew what was going on in his head at the moment. Can you guess?  
Yep, you guessed it.  
He knew that I was talking about Lily.  
That's when he did the last thing I expected him to. He threw a goddamn boomerang at me. I dodged it just it time though, before it could knock me out.

"Hey, calm the fuck down! What the hell did I do?!"

"Where's Lily, and what did you do with 'er?!"

He yelled, and I could detect the tone of worry behind the anger, and see the fear in his eyes. I dodged yet another boomerang that was directed at my head, and knew that I had to tell him what happened before I got knocked out.

"Hey, hold it, you crazy Kangaroo! I didn't hurt her, but someone else did!"

At that, he froze in mid-throw, and he nearly dropped the blue-colored egg that was in his paw. I took this chance to at least try and tell him what happened.

"She told me everything, Bunnymund. First of all, she remembers what happened to her, and you, the other Guardians, too. She has for 2 years, and she actually cried when she was telling me about it! She was nearly kidnapped by Zalgo, and so I brought her here, to try and keep her safe. That's when she started to have nightmares."

At this, he seemed to raise an eyebrow, staring into my eyes with his emerald-green ones, as if trying to see if I was lying to him. I continued, now cautious on how he might react.

"She just snapped one day, after seeing frost on a window. Then, she just collapsed, for no particular reason, and didn't wake up for days. But, when she did, she was different. She had no clue about what happened, and she thought that you and the others, that you guys were her enemies. And, I know who did it, and he's the only one that would want to make her forget that you guys were ever her friends. You have to trust me on this. Get a message to the other Guardians, tell them that she needs help. Please."

He looked at me skeptically for a moment, then, in the blink of an eye, he was gone, a flower being the only thing left behind. _I hope that he listened to me..._ I thought as I walked back towards the Mansion.

-Okay, Guys! Okay, I am planning to do one of the Guardian's POV's in the next chapter, so tell me who you want it to be in the comments! Here are the choices: -Easter Bunny -Tooth Fairy -Sandman -Jack Frost- -Or Santa Claus.


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